Global unity needed to combat climate's deadliest threats

“Climate change is sometimes misunderstood as being about changes in the weather. In reality, it is about changes in our way of life,” stated Paul Polman, business leader and climate and, equalities campaigner.

The statement hits the nail on the head, as despite significant efforts, including implementation of the Paris Agreement and the 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), the world still faces substantial climate challenges. With each passing day, these are intensifying, posing severe risks to the Earth and future generations.

It is time to reflect on the necessity of replacing the Paris Agreement with a reformulated robust international framework. The legally binding regulations comprising a reformed restrictive approach are an intense and urgent need to address global challenges.

As American writer Claire Cook said, “If Plan A doesn’t work, the alphabet has 25 more letters.”

The silent offender

One critical area to be prioritised is the agreement to control activities that produce nitrous oxide (N₂O), or laughing gas, a significant greenhouse gas (GHG), which has a warming potential in the atmosphere 300 times greater than carbon dioxide (CO2) and can linger for over a 100-years.

Along with CO2 and methane, it contributes to human-driven climate change, pollutes the soil, water, and air, and depletes the ozone layer.

Strangely, while global policies included curbing other GHGs, N₂O went unchecked and climbed sorely.

Experts claim, most N₂O emissions are due to agricultural activities, particularly synthetic fertilisers and livestock manure management. The production of hydrogen, especially when combusted at high temperatures, also generates nitrogen oxides (NOx), which includes N₂O.

Given its impact, controlling it could be a vital step towards mitigating environmental degradation, as globally, the emissions of N₂O are outpacing expectations and putting climate change goals in peril.

Reports from worldwide atmospheric measurements revealed a sharp rise in human-related N₂O levels, but little is being done to rein in the gas.

Pep Canadell, the chief researcher at Australia’s Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organization (CSIRO), admitted the absence of policies and limited efforts on this front, stating, “We need to be more aggressive with N₂O.”

Researchers say that the levels of the gas in the atmosphere belied earlier predictions of the United Nation’s Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) and rose to 336 parts per billion in 2022, a 25 per cent increase over pre-industrialised levels.

Accounting for 6.4 per cent of total GHG emissions, the figure is bound to escalate soon. If global warming is to remain below 2°C, anthropogenic N₂O emissions must decline by 20 per cent by 2050.

Educating the farmers

Agriculture accounts for 16 to 27 per cent of human-caused climate warming emissions, much of these from N₂O. No wonder, David Kanter, the vice-chair of the International Nitrogen Initiative (INI), an organisation focused on nitrogen pollution research and policy-making termed it, “A forgotten greenhouse gas.”

Scientists at the IPCC estimated that N₂O comprises roughly 6 per cent of GHG emissions, and about three-quarters come from agricultural soil, especially because of the heavy use of synthetic nitrogen fertiliser. Efforts are being made to treat the soil or adjust farming practices to curtail gas production.

The rise of modern agriculture, comprising the abundance of synthetic fertiliser boosted crop yields and helped to feed populations, but it came at the cost of the environment.

Reports indicate that once the world’s top N₂O emitter, Europe has managed a decrease by reducing the use of fossil fuels. Its emissions related to agriculture are declining gradually. Similarly, emissions in Japan and South Korea have also dropped.

However, India, China, the United States, Brazil, Russia, Pakistan, Australia, and Canada are the top N₂O emitters, because of their rapidly growing populations and increased demands in the food sector.

Governments have been educating farmers to reduce emissions by using nitrogen fertilisers, genetically modified crops, animal waste management, and more sustainable farming practices. As Canadell stated, “Reducing the levels could have a huge impact.”

Factors compelling attention

Since challenges posed by climate change are several and require coordinated global action, there have been discussions on several aspects.

Focusing on the significant gap in funding to support climate adaptation and mitigation, particularly in developing countries, could be the first step to renew the goals. Financial shortfall hampers global efforts to combat climate change. Many countries lack the necessary technology and expertise to implement effective solutions. This disparity creates a significant barrier to climate action.

Following the Covid-19 pandemic, the changed scenario is being discussed in several quarters for an international pandemic agreement, highlighting the importance of legally binding elements to ensure global preparedness and response.

Simultaneously, the Biodiversity Beyond National Jurisdiction (BBNJ) Treaty, also referred to as the High Seas or Global Ocean Treaty on the conservation and sustainable use of marine biological diversity in areas beyond national jurisdiction, was agreed upon in March.

Greenpeace called it ‘the biggest conservation victory ever’. It involves creating marine protected areas in international waters. The agreement makes it possible to protect 30 per cent of the oceans by 2030. Though not directly addressing climate change, it’s a step to protect the ecosystems that store carbon in sediments.

Climate change continues to drive biodiversity loss, affecting ecosystems and the services they provide. This has far-reaching consequences for food security and people’s health.

Predicted consequences by 2050

If GHGs continue soaring at the current rate, global temperatures could rise by 2°C to 4°C by the end of the century.

This increase will profoundly impact weather patterns and ecosystems. It will accelerate the melting of polar ice caps and glaciers, leading to a significant rise in sea level. Due to this, coastal and low-lying areas will face increased flooding and erosion, displacing millions of people.

Additionally, the changes in precipitation patterns and the increased frequency of extreme weather events will affect agricultural productivity. This means food shortage and competition for water resources, exacerbating global hunger and conflicts.

The health consequences of climate change will be severe, with heat-related illnesses, the spread of vector-borne diseases, and respiratory issues due to poor air quality. By 2050, it could cause millions of deaths annually.

The economic costs of environmental degradation will be staggering, with damages to infrastructure, health care, and productivity. The global economy could face trillions of dollars in losses annually by mid-century.

But before any of this happens, there’s still time. As they say, “It’s not the strongest or the most intelligent that survive, but the one most responsive to change.”

(We’re wrapping up our sustainability goals series and will start a new climate change series on the first Thursday of November)

Dr Abdullah Belhaif Al Nuaimi is Chairman of the Advisory Council of the Emirate of Sharjah